


and the moon's never seen me before

by MrsNoraPalmer



Series: 25 Days of Darhkatom [8]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Cuteness overload, F/M, Feels, Fluff, nora pulling a ray palmer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 19:03:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16918566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsNoraPalmer/pseuds/MrsNoraPalmer
Summary: Nora finds out Ray never went to his high school prom. What’s a girl to do? Tap into her memories of all the grand gestures he’s done for her and do one of her own for him, of course.





	and the moon's never seen me before

**Author's Note:**

> Day eight of 25 days of Darhkatom! Feel free to click the through the series to see the others! Basically, I will be posted all loosely related (unless stated otherwise) fics for 25 days straight!
> 
> This is dedicated to beth aka princesstomaz on tumblr and I hope she realizes why. ;)

It originally struck her with great sadness when he mentioned it. They’d been sitting in the library, watching a movie, _Teen Witch_ , which Nora had actually seen pre-Mallus and her parents dying but she was enjoying watching it with Ray. When they got to the dance at the end she was fully in his lap, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck and she asked him, just because she was curious.

“What did you wear to your prom?” She asked.

Ray’s face grew sad for a minute and then he deflected into a neutral expression. “Didn’t go.”

“Didn’t go? Did your school not have one? Were they some sort of _Footloose_ type school?”

Ray shook his head. “No… I just didn’t go. Oh look the movie is over… do you wanna watch anything else?”

Nora’s heart hurt. Ray had a perfectly normal upbringing, at least compared to hers, and _he didn’t get to go to his prom_? She shook her head and Ray turned off the TV. Nora got off his lap and watched him clean up. Clearly she had hit a nerve.

When they had wrapped everything up, she took his hand and led him back to their room, planning on cheering him up at least somewhat.

The more Nora continued to mull over the fact that her boyfriend hadn’t attended his prom and how sad he seemed to initially act about it, she knew she had to talk to someone about it. And honestly the only person she could think of was the last person she could think of. Sara freaking Lance.

Nora knocked on Sara’s door, fearing that Sara’s room was the only place they’d had privacy without risk of Ray walking in and hearing.

Sara, who looked probably more confused than she ever had, opened the door a smidge and then all the way when she realized it was Nora. “Can I help you?”

Nora sucked in a breath. “Can I talk to you about something? It’s about Ray and I think you’re the only person who has a frame of reference.”

Sara, now concerned as the possibilities raced through her mind of what Nora Darhk could possibly come to ask her advice on, let her in anyways. “Umm sure…”

Nora stayed close to the door and crossed her arms across her chest, clearly just as uncomfortable about being here asking for Sara’s advice as Sara was preparing herself to listen to Nora ask her for advice.

“Ray said something to me the other night. We were watching a movie and I ended up asking him what he wore to his prom and he said he didn’t go. He looked hurt at first and then sort of put a wall up about it after. Ray has knocked down plenty of my walls and I wasn’t sure how to handle him putting one up himself. I guess I hit a nerve but I’m not sure how or why but I want to make this right. I know he and I are okay in terms of our relationship but he seemed so sad. Why wouldn’t he have gone to his prom?”

Of all the things Sara Lance thought Nora Darhk would come in her and ask her about, the prom was not one of them.

“I’m surprised you know what the prom is,” Sara replied.

Nora scoffed. “I may have been a demon vessel for twenty years but I also was a kid who watched a lot of TV and movies. I saw people go to the prom on TV just because I was too busy being prepared to unleash a time demon when I should’ve been shopping for a prom dress doesn’t make me ignorant.”

Sara held up her hands in defense. “Sorry, my mistake. But i know that Ray didn’t exactly have an easy upbringing in terms of socialization so he probably couldn’t get a date to the prom and so probably didn’t go.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Ray is one of the kindest, most intelligent, most caring, and handsome men I’ve ever met. Actually strike that he is the most kind, intelligent, caring and handsome man I’ve ever met. And you’re telling me despite those qualities he felt so ashamed by his lack of a date that he just _didn’t go_?”

“That would make sense, all the dateless losers at my high school would just sit on the bleachers and ogle the girls they didn’t have a chance with while they danced with their boyfriends. Ray has never ogled a woman in his life, except probably you and you probably welcomed it.” Nora shrugged and nodded. “Gross, but anyways, he wasn’t going to even fit in with the demographic of the dateless loser so he probably stayed at home and tinkered with an invention.”

“I hate that for him. He deserves to go to the prom.”

“Well we have a time ship, do you want to go pick up seventeen year old Nora Darhk and have her go to the prom with a seventeen year old Ray?”

“No, that’s crazy… but that does give me an idea.” She shook her finger at Nora and placed it to her temple. “Thanks, Sara, for your help. I’ll talk to you later. Also is it okay if no one uses the bridge tomorrow night? Okay cool thanks, bye!” Nora left Sara’s room and immediately beelined for a com center. She rang up Nate Heywood and he appeared on the other side of the screen.

“Well, well, well, this is probably the last person I thought I’d see hailing me from the Waverider but Nora Darhk, what can I do for you?”

Nora shushed him. “You can’t tell anyone about what I’m about to ask you for. But, you know Ray pretty well, do you think you could come up with a playlist that would be good for us to dance to?”

“In what context cause I don’t know how I feel about making like a weird kinky bedroom playlist.”

“No,” she waved him off. “We already have one. I’m talking about like something you’d play at the prom.”

“The prom? Like the silly high school dance that people make a big deal out of?”

“Did you not go to your prom either?”

“What? No of course I did. I took my friend Anne.”

Nora raised an eyebrow.

“Okay she was my cousin but we went to the same school and there was a big group of us!” Nate defended. “Are you wanting to throw a prom for Ray?”

Nora grinned sheepishly. “Maybe…”

“Ray Palmer’s romantic gestures are rubbing off on you and I love it. Okay, I’ll make the playlist and send it your way. When do you need it by?”

“Tomorrow night, is that okay?”

“Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later, Nora Darhk.”

Nora ended the transmission just as she felt someone come up behind her and hug her. Ray. His smell invaded her senses and she smiled brightly.

“Hi.” He said and started kissing her neck.

Nora grinned and turned around. “Hey there.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Who were you talking to?”

“Oh umm, Ava, she wanted me to update her on anything else I had found out about the creature we captured last week.”

“Okay… hey I’m sorry about the other night. The prom question, I acted like kind of an ass in response. It’s just a little bit of a sore spot for me.”

“That’s okay, don’t worry about it, there are plenty points of my adolescents that I don’t like to talk about. Do you wanna go get dinner from the galley and have it in our room? I’m kind of feeling a night in.”

“I would love that, actually!” Ray pecked her lips and then led her to the galley.

xxxx

Nora had convinced Sara to get Ray to run a bunch of Time Bureau errands because he had the most trustworthy face of the entire crew. Nora spent that time decorating the bridge with silver and blue decorations: balloons, tinsel, streamers, confetti and even Gideon projected a disco ball to help set the mood.

When she was satisfied with the decorations, it was time for Nora to get ready. She had a dress fabricated for her and tux fabricated for Ray. She knew that Ava would use the time courier to drop him off at their room rather than the bridge so once she was ready, all she had to do was wait for her man to show up.

Nora changed into a silver and black jewel encrusted longsleeve bodycon dress and she had done her hair up in a side swoop that was pinned tightly to one side. She completely dolled herself for the experience: earrings, makeup, heels, she even replicated a boutonnière and a corsage for her and Ray, but she would save those for when he actually showed up.

When Nora finished she went back out to the bridge, started the playlist Nate had sent her, and waited patiently for Ray.

xxxx

Ray Palmer could only sometimes tell when he was being used for ulterior motives. This was actually one of those times. Sara had sent him on a bunch of Time Bureau liaison type errands and he every time he thought he could go back to the Waverider, he was conveniently given another task. Finally, after spending all day at the Time Bureau, he could finally go home. He was surprised to be dropped right at his bedroom door by Ava who promptly disappeared back to the Time Bureau as the portal shut. That’s when he saw the note on the door.

_‘Change into what’s in the dress bag and meet me on the bridge. Follow the music.-Love, Nora’_

Ray wasn’t sure what to make of this. He had no problem with the fact that it was him usually making the grand gesture in the relationship, he actually loved doing it. He was completely blown away that this time it was Nora that was planning something, that required leaving a note with specific instructions.

Ray entered their room and saw the bed had been covered in rose petals and given that the instructions were to meet her on the bridge, he figured that may be for later that night. Ray pulled the dress bag from his side of the closet and opened it, finding a tuxedo.

Still not understanding but trusting his Nora that she had something up her sleeve, he changed into it willingly. When he left their room, he could hear music finally. It was coming from the direction of the Waverider’s bridge and then when the hallway finally opened up to the bridge, he nearly fainted from shock.

Decorations everywhere in the volume of something only Ray could describe as something he would do. There was a disco ball and soft music playing and streamers and balloons and then he saw the banner.

_Waverider Prom 2018_

Nora had created a prom. Just for him.

His eyes finally landed on the love of his life, standing in the center, the light illuminating her like an angel and she had the biggest smile on her lips.

“Welcome to the prom, Ray Palmer.”

Ray walked over to her and kissed her deeply. It was the only way he could think to thank her. His brain was short-circuiting at this grand gesture done _for him_.

Ray pulled away and had a face of complete awe. “You did all of this?”

“Yup, that’s why Sara kept you off the Waverider. I needed time to decorate. I know proms are normally in the spring but we’re on a timeship, so we can just pretend it’s spring, right?” She picked up the boutonnière. “I got this for you.” She smiled. “May I?” She gestured to the area over his breast pocket.

Ray nodded and Nora tried her best to pin it in place without stabbing him. After about three tries she got it and then picked up the corsage. “I felt weird about putting it on myself so would you do the honors?”

He couldn’t believe she had thought of everything. Right down the corsage and boutonniere. Ray slipped the corsage over her wrist and kissed her palm gently. “Thank you, Nora. I didn’t realize that I had missed not getting to actually do this as much as I did.”

“You do stuff like this for me all the time, Ray Palmer. It was about time I did something for you. Plus, I never went to prom either so really, it’s a chance for both of us to go to prom. I had Nate make a playlist of mostly songs that would’ve been played at your prom given what year you would’ve went but he also included a few others, especially for more slow dance ones that are from the more recent future.”

“Is that who you were talking to last night?” He asked as he led her out towards the middle of the room.

Nora grinned sheepishly. “Yeah… I lied and said it was Ava cause I didn’t want to reveal my plans.”

“You thought of everything. I can’t believe this… I don’t deserve this…”

“That is absolutely not true. Now, tonight is our prom, let’s enjoy it.”

“You’re right, may I have this dance, Nora?”

“You absolutely can.”

Ray took Nora into his arms and began gently swaying with her, Adele’s voice floated through the air as they gently dance to “ _Make You Feel My Love_.” Nora rested her head on Ray’s chest and closed her eyes, remembering the last time they danced together. They weren’t even together but something about that last dance changed everything for her. They may not have gotten together until their date at Jitters and even though she didn’t want to talk about the kiss, she had only wanted to privately process and solidify her decision that she was totally and completely in love with Raymond Carson Palmer.

It was nice though to be dancing and be completely vulnerable with him at any given moment. She never thought she’d have this. And while yes, she thought she’d literally never go to the prom, given that it was some silly high school tradition and she didn’t even have a high school diploma, she never thought she’d have him or have someone that loved and cared about her as much as he did.

When she met Ray, she didn’t know what to make of him. His insufferable optimism quickly broke through her walls and was changing her before she even knew it. She realized he was dangerous to her plans when she verbalized to her father that torture wasn’t the answer. She had been with him for less than 24 hours, just him, and yet somehow he was making her a better person. After that, she knew she had to keep him at arm’s length, no matter how much good he thought he saw in her. Once she was in time prison, she felt like she had to shut down in order to survive and then Ray taught her that ultimately opening up was instead the better choice.

And she was so glad she had listened to him.

The Adele song faded and another slow song filled the air. This one she hadn’t heard and she honestly hadn’t really glanced at Nate’s playlist before programming it into the sound system. She didn’t mind it, it was a nice transition from the Adele song but she was going to be pissed if at the end there was a Marvin Gaye song. Because that was just plain old distasteful. Even if she had decorated their bed in rose petals in anticipation for their after-prom lovemaking. She tried to shake away the negative thoughts and focus on the magical moment with Ray, listening to the soft folksy voice floating into her ears _“and the moon’s never seen me before, but I’m reflecting light…”_

She felt Ray press a gentle kiss to her temple and she looked up at him. “Enjoying yourself?”

“So much… dorky, loser high school Ray would have literally never thought he’d get to go to the prom with the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. And one that he also got to kiss whenever he wanted. High school Ray is having so much fun. And I am too.” He grinned. “I love you for doing this, Nora Darhk. I love you but I am blown away by this. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this night.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” Nora said, “I put a lot of effort into this. I had to channel my inner Ray Palmer for all of this. And I love you too.”

Ray chuckled. “I love that I apparently am so notoriously known of these type of gestures people have to channel me to create a similar effect.”

Nora nodded. “Yes, I definitely pulled a Ray Palmer to do all of this. But it was worth it. I don’t think that our seventeen year old selves would believe us if we told them they’d not only get to experience prom but experience it with someone that loves them deeply.”

“Good thing we’re not them then, because I would not trade this moment for the world.” He kissed her gently as the song faded out.

“I was hoping you would say that.”


End file.
